In the quiet community of Buckeye, Arizona, a dispute between two men escalated to a fatal conclusion on the night of March 10, 2020, ending the life of 44-year-old Isidro Meza. The unfortunate altercation occurred in the vicinity of Jackrabbit Trail and Lower Buckeye Road, where Meza was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.
Responding to the incident, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies took one individual into custody without any resistance.
Homicide detectives from the sheriff's office launched an investigation into the shooting. Following their investigation, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office recommended that the alleged shooter be charged with second-degree murder. However, the case took a significant turn when the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to file charges in July of that year, asserting that the shooting was an act of self-defense. The authorities stated that there were no other outstanding suspects in connection with the shooting.
Six months after Isidro Meza's death, his family initiated legal action by filing a notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against both the Buckeye Police Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The claim, seeking nearly $1 million, alleged that the law enforcement agencies were slow to respond to multiple 911 calls made in the hours leading up to the fatal shooting. The family's claim accused the departments of gross negligence, wrongful death, and negligent supervision, training, and hiring of their personnel, asserting that officers did not arrive until after Meza had already died.
